Opposed to Vaccinating? Done Lots of Research and Not Sure What to Do???

You asked that people who did vaccinate not give their opinion so you are already showing a bias. I think you are mixing up issues here. I work in the health field and completely agree with you about pharmaceutical companies- like any big business they worry most about the bottom line. Some of their tactics are reprehensible. No argument, but that is unrelated to the safety and reliability of vaccines for children. Don't let your "disappointment with the medical industry" cloud your judgment. There is consistent, reliable evidence (from academic institutions- not drug companies) that vaccination risks outweigh the severe dangers of communicable diseases. Please make sure your research is balanced. There is a lot of information out on the web from non-reputable sources. Have a long, challenging talk with your doctor about the research your have read and the reservations you have. If your doctor doesn't respect your concerns, find a new one until you estabish a relationship of trust. Then make a decision. Good luck to you.

I just wanted to caution you about believing everything you read on the internet. Make sure you look at both arguments from credited sources. Good luck!

If you would like to get the anti-vax position there is a medical group called HomeFirst and they hold an "educate before you vaccinate" seminar I think monthly. It is a one sided seminar however so don't expect to get both versions of the story. That being said, they also have a medical practice that is okay with parents opting out of vaccines and they will also give vaccines if that is what the parents wish. The website is www.homefirst.com.

My husband and I have decided to at least delay vaccines for the first year as both of us have the same autoimmune disease in addition to food allergies so we'd like to give our sons body a chance to be strong on its own. In my researching I have found it's a very devisive subject and although the non-vax stance is becoming more "mainstream" it is still not generally well accepted by most including doctors.

Hi N.,
My husband and I are still doing research before vax'ing our 7 month old son. What concerns me the most is that he has a 1/95 chance of getting Autism (which has been found to be linked to some vaccines), and that is greater than his risk of getting any of the illnesses, and can be a life-long condition, unlike many of the illnesses. That has me the most worried.

I have decided to forego vaccinating my son for the time being (he just turned 1) because he is allergic to milk and egg. (There is a theory that vaccines are a contributing factor to food allergies.) We work with a homeopathic physician for my son's allergies and he supported this decision. My son had his vaccines (except for Hep. B) on the recommended schedule for the first 6 months, so I feel that he is pretty well protected against the more serious diseases that tend to strike babies. (I am also still breastfeeding him, which helps protect him as well.)

There is a book that has recently come out called The Vaccine Book. It was written by Dr. Robert Sears (Son of the more famous Dr. Sears). It is a good book to read if you are trying to make an informed decision about whether to vaccinate or not.

My nephew has autism, and though it seems he got it from his father's side (his dad and grandfather also have autistic traits), and not my side of the family, we refused vaccines for my tot after she was 3 mos old or so, because the symptoms of autism seems to appear after that. Didn't want to expose her to vaccines during those tender years, to eliminate any possible risk of her getting autistic.

She is turning 3 this summer and we plan to then catch her up on all her vaccines. However, she will get 1-2 shots at a time, not more than that!

We also did lots of research, and I'm a health care provider. There is some iffy questions regarding giving vaccines when they are very young, so that is why we waited. However, we're not putting them off indefinately becasuse the risk of not vaccinating outweigh the risk of vaccinating in the long run.

I hear ya!! My husband and I decided to hold off on vaccinating and do the "tried and trued" vaccines until after our daughter is 2yrs old. Their organs are more child-like at that age and have had a chance to develop and mature. We do not agree with MMR, Hep. B, chickenpox, rotovirus, HPV and a couple others. I did go to the Educate Before You Vaccinate Seminar and it opened my eyes to a lot and forced me to do more research and made an educated decision not to get unnecessary vaccines and get the ones we got as children (polio, tetnus) but not MMR. We had chicken pox and are still alive! It is so hard to research out there, but you have to do what you feel comfortable doing. Remember that you have a right as a patient and schools cannot let your child go to school or force you to get them vaccinated in order to go to school. I hear the Dr. Sears book is good. You can also go to www.drrapp.com for some other info out there.